Air-cooled condenser for locomotives or similar vehicles



` ,April 13,; 19 26- l `F. LJUNGSTRM AIR CO0LED-CONDENSER FOR' LOCOMOTIVES 0R SIMILAR VEHICLES Filed'Jan, 28A, 1925 EL 'w si am:

Patented pr. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES l l 41,580,512 PATENT OFFICE.

FREDRIK LJUNGSTRM, OFLIDINGO-BREVIK, SWEDEN, ASSIGNOR T AKTIEBOLAGET LJUNGSTROM .ANGTURBIN, OF LIDINGO-BREVIK, SWEDEN, A CORPORATION.

AIR-COOLED CONDENSER V:FOR LOCOMOTIYES OR SIMILAR VEHICLES.

.Application filed January 28, 1925.

To all whom t 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREDRTK LJUNG- STRM, a subject of the Kingl of Sweden, residing at Lidingo-Brevik, Sweden, have i invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Cooled Condensers for Locomotives or Similar Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

Condensers for locomotives or similar vehicles are known which consist of a part comprising condenser tubes or pipes, said part being cooled by air forced over it by means of fans, and adapted to coi-operate with a liquid container', either in such a manner that steam is caused to pass through the condenser tubes, the said container` then serving as a sort of storer, or, in such a manner that the steam is lirst condensed in a separate condenserl of any type while the cooling liquid for this condenser is caused to pass through the air-cooled part which thus acts as a recooler for the cool ing liquid which, some way or other, has absorbed the heat ofthe steam. VIn both cases the condenser tubes have been disposed above the liquid container or at least above p the plane formed by the surface of the liquid therein. This arrangement of the condenser tubes has been necessitated for the reason that it has always been a desideratum'that the liquid contained in the condenser` tubes or in the condenser elements should by itself flow back into the container. This, obviously, is an indispensable condition where steam is condensed in the elements, as water of condensation then formed lille up the lower portion of the elements, 'thus rendering the utilization of the whole element for condensation purposes impossible, but in cases, too, where the air-cooled part serves as a means for recooling the cooling liquid, it is desirable that the cooling liquid may iow back automatically, especially when the locomotive is standing still, in- 45 asmuch as it will then be possible to replace or to repair the condenser tubes or elements, without incurring the necessity of first drawing off liquid from the condenser. If liquid is allowed to remain in. the lower portions of the condenser tubes the risk is also incurred that the said tubes will freeze and burst when the outertemperature is low. Y

In order to render possible that the liquid Serial No. 5,386.

in the lower portions ofthe elements may by itself'flow back into the container in cases where steam is caused to pass through the elements, it is not only necessary, however, that the relements be arranged above the plane formed by the level of the liquid in the container; a certain suction height must also be provided in order to overcome the vacuum in the elements which is always greater than that in the container.

However, by the disposition of the condenser tubes or elements in this manner, that is to say, at a certain level above the level of the water in the liquid container, the point `of gravity of the condenser will be disposed relatively high. such a construction, the space available as limited by the loading gauge cannot be fully utilized, which evidently is a desideratum, for the purpose of obtaining a condenser with a capacity as large as possible per unit of length. This is particularly the case with the space within the lower portion of the loading gauge.

The present invention relates to an arrangement in condense'rs adapted for locomotives or similar vehicles, such condensers consisting of condenser tubes or elements adapted to be cooled by air, and of a liquid container adapted to co-operate therewith,

the lowermost portions of the condenser 'tubes being located below the plane determined by the water level in the conn tainer, by which arrangement, the point of gravity of the condenser will be rsituated further down, and the lower space within the'loading gauge will be better' utilized. The invention consists in that the condenser tubes or elements are connected with a col-- lecting wellV which isunder vacuum and disposed at a lowler level than the tubes or elements and the liquid container, to which collecting well the liquid coming from the condenser elements flows and from which it may be conveyed by means of a pump to the liquid container.

The invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings. Fig.` l is an elevation of a locomotive provided with a condenser according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows a section'through a somewhat modified embodiment of the condenser vehicle pertainingj to vthe said locomotive.

According to Fig. l, 1 and 2 designate two Moreover, in

vehicles which-together form the locomotive, and ot which vehicles the one denoted by 1 carries the boiler and the drivers cab of the locomotive,v whilethe vehicle 2' carries the condenser el and the driving means 3 ot the locomotive. ln the embodiment shown, the driving means consists ot a steam turbine from which the motion is transmitted to theI driving' wheels 5 by means of a toothed gearing disposedin the casing 6, as well as through the medium of cranks and coupling rods 7.

ln the embodiment shown, the condenser consists or a liquid container 8, serving as a steam storer operating under vacuum, and of condenser tubes or elements 9' disposed on either side thereof (see Fig. 10' desig nates tans which are so arranged that they suck the air requiredy 'tor the cooling through the elements in the direction ot the arrow 11, that is to say, substantially in a direction from belo-w and obliquely upwards. Steam from the ina-in machinery ot the locomotive, or, perhaps, 'from some existing auxiliary machinery, enters the container above t-he level ot the liquid B-B', where the same is either condensed directly by the water sprinkling down from a diaphragm 12, or isi caused to tlow through the pipes 13 to and through the elements 9 of the air-cooled part. rlhe action is as just described for the reason that the container, as already ser, forth, acts as a storer, in that the same will, in periods when the engine gives oh" a large quantity of steam', accumulate aportion of this steam, and then, when the engine gives off a smaller quantity of exhaust steam, will deliver steam to the air-cooled portion.

The condenser tubes or elements are in mown manner inserted in groups, at the bottom, into common collecting chambers 14 comimmicat-ing with collecting. pipes 1 '5 exten/ling in the longitudinal direction of the condenser. v

According to the invention, these collecting pipes 15 are connected to a collecting well 16 disposed underneath the said pipes andunder theliquid container 8, the walter formin in the lower portion 17 of the elements 9, in the collecting chambers 14 and in the collf ing pipes 15 being` thus caused to flow by itself into the said collecting well. It such collecting well were not present, but the elements were connected to the container di.- rectly, obviously the portions 1,7 o1" the elements 9 or the collecting chambers 1l and the collecting pipes 15 situated underneath the line B B indicating the level ot the liquid would always stand t'ull oiu water.

rlfhe water collected in the collecting` well 1li is pumped by means ot a pump 18 driven from one oi" the shafts of the lans and consisting in the embodin'ient shown of a propeller pump, onto the top side ot' the diaphragm 12 from where the water, as previously mentioned, sprinkles down through the container 8. The capacity ot the pump is such that it will be able to convey a larger quantity of water than will normally iiow down from the. elements 9, so that the wat r in the collecting well 1G is not a lowed to ri above a. certain level, whereby a height or" 'fall 19 of a certain minimum for the water from the elements to the well is always mairr tained. 1n order that the pump 18 shall not entirely empty the collecting well, and in order that the pump shall always have water tor feeding purposes or Afor circulation in the container, there is provided a i'loat valve 21 in the well 1G, which 'tloat valve opens the communication to the container S situated thereal'iove, when the lo Yel of the liquid in the well has sunk down to a certain mini- `mum value. Water will then How down from the container 8 through the pipe into the well 145, it being thus ensure-u that the pump 1S has always water in the suction pipe.

riccording to the invention, the elements i may, obviously, be made longer, than would otherwise be possible, in that the same could not, it no collecting well 16 were present, beI extended further down than that their lowermost parts would be situated above the level B-'B ot the liquid in the container. 1f it is not essential to make the elements longer, another advantage is attained according to thee invention7 consisting` in that the whole condenser may be made lower. its will be seen from Fig. 1, an unobstructed view will thus be had rearwards from thee drivers cab over the condenser, in that a window in the rear wall of the drivers cab above the highest level of the condenser, as indicated by the line 20, provides an unobstructed view `for the driver iea'rwards over the track, tor instance, when running baciwards, which in many countries is an indispensable condition or locomotives.

Evidently, a plurality ot collecting` wells may be provided for the elements Y9, for example, a collecting well for each separate portion or' the air-cooled part. Preferably, however, a collecting well is provided which is common to all ot1 the portions ot the aircooled part.

ln the embodiment shown, only the lower portions 17 of the elements 9 are situated below the level BHB of the liquid in the container, but the entire air-cooled part may also be conceived as placed underneath this level. Such a condenser construction may be conceived as being used in cases where particularly large liquid containers are required (tor instance on tracks with vgreat and long grar'lients requiring an increased accumulating capacity ot the container), and when the loading gauge required by the laws is very wide at the bottom.

lVhat l claim as new and desire to secure ments being located adjacent to or below they bottom of the container, a collecting well situated at a lower level than said elements and said container, means to connect said elements with said collecting well and means 'consisting of a pump to convey to said liquid container the liquid flowing down from said elements into said collecting well.

2. Av condenser for locomotives and similar vehicles, comprising a liquid container, condenser elements co-operating with said container and arranged on opposite sides of same, the lowermost portions of said elements being located adjacent to or below the bottom of the container, a collecting pipe common to the elements on each side of said container, a collecting well disposed at a lower level than said collecting pipes and said container, means to connect said elements with said collecting well and means consisting of a pump to convey to said liquid conta-incr the liquid flowing down from said elements into said collecting well.

3. A condenser for locomotives and similar vehicles, comprising a liquid container. condenser elements co-operating with said container, the lowermost portions of said elements being located adjacent to or below the bottom of the container, a collecting well situated at a lower level than said elements and said container, means to connect said elements with said collecting well, means consisting of a pump to convey to said liquid container the liquidv flowing down from said elements into said collecting well, and means consistingr of a float valve in said collect-ing well to permit liquid to pass down from said container into said collecting well, when the quantity of liquid in said collecting well falls below a certain value.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FREDRIK LJUNGsTRo'M. 

